“Poland 2 England 1” English fans teased their German counterparts during the break of their team’s round of 16 clash with Germany on Sunday. The English supporters were referring to the Polish ancestry of Germany’s goal-scorers, Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski. The Germans brushed aside the taunts of the English fans because

With its flagship event reeling from refereeing gaffes, Fifa must explore ways to ensure that the 2014 World Cup in Brazil will be talked about only for its football.
Refereeing controversies can linger on long after the tournament is finished and affected teams will bear the grudge over the injustice forever. Fifa’s persistent refusal to embrace technology has come under intense scrutiny.

Two calamitous incidents on Sunday haven’t moved Fifa. The world football governing body has rejected calls for the introduction of technology to help on-field officials.
Referees failed to spot an England goal against Germany and an off-side goal from Carlos Tevez was allowed to stand in Argentina’s round of 16 win over Mexico.

Group F toppers Paraguay will look to add to the Latin flavour that has been ruling the roost in South Africa when they locks horns with Asia’s lone survivors Japan at the Loftus Versfeld Arena in Pretoria on Tuesday, with a first-ever quarterfinal berth the motivating factor for both teams.

Refereeing errors in both the day’s matches on Sunday accentuated the call for the use of technology, but Maradona feels the referees should also show more concern when the best players in the world are at the receiving end of harsh tackles from rival defenders.

The Fifa World Cup pre-quarterfinal between Argentina and Mexico at the Soccer City Stadium can best be summarised by what transpired in the media shuttle following the match. A South African journalist asked a bunch of Mexican scribes what went wrong? The answer came in unison “The first goal!”

Fifa lavished praise on South Africa for its hosting of the World Cup as the second round kicked off Saturday, saying the country was on track for a “perfect” tournament.
Despite some initial problems, especially transportation on the opening day when traffic jams caused many late arrivals, Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke said South Africa had overcome its challenges.

With all the focus on Argentina, Brazil and Spain, Holland have gone about their task quietly and hogging more limelight than the players have been the 36 Dutch models in orange skirts hired by Bavaria Beer.

A rich sporting history can be a source of great pride and inspiration. However, it can also be burden. One look at the West Indies cricket teams of the past decade is ample proof.

Under the shrewd stewardship of Dunga, Brazil look compact and competitive. But the five-time champions are some distance away from being invincible. They certainly cannot take Chile for granted when they take on Marcelo Bielsa’s team at Ellis Park on Monday in an all-South American round of 16.